The Sun. — London, England, 1838-02-20 00:00:00

COMMITTEE ON PETITIONS FOR PRIVATE BILLS. No. 3.—(YESTERDAY.) Mr. AGLIONET in the Chair. 1. FARRINGDONT-STILEZT, Losnov.—For making a street to Sessions' House, Clerkenwell.—The notices in the Gazette, London newspapers, and on the church doors, were prayed. Also notices by post on the 27th and 28th of December to all the owners, he. of the property intended to be taken. The City Remembrancer proved that the money now raised by tolls from the carts, &c. of non-freemen, would be sufficient to cover the esti mate of the expenses to be incurred. It was not the intention to levy any new tolls or increase existing ones.—Petition for Lord Mayor and Aldermen in favour read. After the Committee had decided the Standing Orders had been com plied with, it was *entioned by the City Remembrancer, that from inad vertence the lists of owners and occupiers had not been lodged in tha Private Bill Office.—Committee then decided that Standing Orders had not be n complied with in this particular. Bill unopposed. 2. Ctry of , LONDON POLICE.—A question arose on this, whether It was a private or a public Bill. It was stated that this was a measure desired by a large majority of the Common Council, who were chosen by the rate-payers. It was held by the Chairman and other members of the Committee, that as it was a Bill for watching, and had been brought before them as a private Bill, it must be considered. It was then admitted that some of the notices had been given, as the deci sion of the Common Council had only taken place on the sth of Jan., after the time had expired. The City Remembrancer stated that in the year 1,32 a similar Bill had been brought in, and was sent from the Lords to the Commons, when it was determined that Standing Orders did not apply.—Committee decided that Standing Orders were not corn. plied with, but that these circumstances should be included in their Report.—Bill unopposed. 3. GLABGOw WATER-Wollas.—This was an application for a Bill to authorize one Company of Proprietors of Water-works, who allege that they are only sharing four shillings per centum per annum to sell their interests and works to another Company, and to enable the latter to take the same. Notices in Newspapers proved. Stated that no new tolls or lands were intended to be taken. Mr. Crawford, M. P. , asked if this was intended to save expence ? Witness answered in the affirmative, and that it was to enable one Company to buy from another. " Would not that produce a monopoly, by preventing competition ?" Witness did not answer this home question. A discussion arose whether this union of two Companies did not cause such an.extension or continuation as brought the Bill under the Standing Orders, which required additional and personal notices. It was stated that the union of the two Companies and of the powers of the two Bills contained no " extending," "enlarging," or " varying," but only to give to one Company that which was held by two. It was proved by the petition that power was prayed to alter, increase, or abolish existing rates and burrow more money—Unopposed. The Committee decided that Stand ing Orders had beets complied with. 4. RUGBY AND LUTTERWORTD ROAD.—This petition was opposed by trustees of a certain road, part of which is proposed to be taken. No tices in Newspapers proved, and shewn to be correct, save in one in stance, when the town Dustan was spelt Dunston. There were two sets of notices, the one for power to take a part of the road, the trustess of which wer the opposing parties, the other to compel those trustees not to put up a gate. It was stated that Lord Shaftesbury had laid it down as a rule that trustees of roads should not be compelled to place Turnpike-gates at particular points. In this instance it appears that these two gates were within a quarter of a mile from each other, which it was adrnitt - d was a very great hardship. First objee than, that no application had been made to oivners, occupiers, &c. accord ing to Standing Orders ; and that Trustes of Roads were owners, and as :having erected a toll-house, and lessees as occupiers of it; and, secondly, that it was an intended extension o: a line, which required other notices. Against these objections it was argued that there was no intention to take any private property, or even the toll-house, and that the notices were explicit, consequently no personal notices were necessary. In reply to this it was stated that money had been borrowed upon thhs road, and being so Parliament would protect the mortgages, and insist that they had notice. In Railway Bills it was the iavariable practice to give sach notice to the trustees of turnpike roads interfered with by such railway.—Room cleared, and the Committee remained in discus. sion about half an hour. Chairman stated that Committee had decided that Standine Orders had not been complied with according to order, No. 4. page 15. 5. BiNui.v (NORFOLK) IscLost:in.—it was stated that parties could not arrange their affiirs, and it was consequently given up. 6. FESTE.NIOG RAILWAY (CARNARVONSHIEH.)—Petition to raise additional Money—No alteration of Tolls—Or Time—Or to let New Lands—Or to extend Railway—Notices proved—Unopposed-- Standing Orders proved—Committee censured the practice of not stating in the Notices what is not intended to be done. 7. MintsNn COUNTIES (MOUNSORREL BRANCH) RAlLWAY.—Petition read—fur further time end to extend powers—Notices proved—Plans put in —Estimate to cut out of the " Corporate funds" of the Midland Counties Railway Company—Chairman observed that Standing Order in page 18 required that the funds should be stated to be " in the hands" of the said Corporate Company. As to " extension" of time it was admitted that no application had been made to owners and occupiers, same as in Eastern Counties and Great. Western and tenham Union Railway.—Standing Orders declared to be complied with save as to this point ; unopposed. S. BELFAST WATPRWORKS (No 2 .) — Adjourned by consent of parties. —Committee adjourned. PAIGNTON HARBOUIt (DEVON) BILL. Colonel SEALE in the Chair. This Bill being ordered t• be recommitted, the Committee sat this afternoon. A clause waa introduced, which had been omitted, decla— ratory of certain rights of her Majesty, above and below low water-mark, at the mouth of the harbour. A Cause was also introduced, regulating the 11.7.rbour-dues to be paid by vessels running into the harbour iii stress of weather. These arnendmmts were unopposed; and the Bld, as amended, passed through the Committee. ELECTION COMMITTEES. (Frcrn our Second Edition of yesterday.) IPSW ICH. Jonathan Mott also confirmed tha evidence or the preceding wit ne ses. He was Isti 1 under examination when it was announced that Mr. SPEAKER was at prayers. BELFAST. After hearing Counsel and es;ldence,th9 Committee decided, about a quarter to four, that the votes pulled fur Mr. Gibson were to be struck off the poll. This decision virtually seats Mr. E. Ten:lent. The Committee th:n adjourned. BRISTOL. Mr. &rrier was next examined. He deposed to having overheard the conversation between Mr. Carlile and his wife whilst standing at the to;, of the staircase, but on cross-examination contradicted her on some points as to the declarations made by her since the time of the transac. Lion. George Payne and James Watts mire then examined for the pur pose of proving treating at the Red Lion, Pill, about four miles from Bristol, a few days before the election, when Mr. Berkeley and Mr. Cunningham were present. The evidence wai of a very slight description. The Committee then adjourned until to-marrow morning. SLIGO. Various witnesses were then examined, till about half-past three, when the Committee adjourned till to-morrow, to give the partiet op_ portunity for laying before them classified lists of the evidence which they meant to bring forward. A daring robbery was attempted the evenince before last at the h ouse o f C o l onel Brunet, avenue St. Cloud, Passy. The Colonel having gone out for the day, his servant, whom be had permitted to absent himself for several hours, on return ing at six in the evening, was not a little astonished at per ceiving a light in his mater's bedroom, and certain appear maces near the iron gate in front of the house, which led him to suspect that a forcible entry had been effected. Having stealthily entered a room on the ground floor, the servant, who was an old dragoon, seized a loaded d ;table-barrelled gun, and then ascended softly to the bedroom on the first floor, where he found two malefactors quietly occupied in packing up sundry valuables, and methodically arranging them close to the win slow looking on the garden. As soon as the door was opened one of the thieves jumped out of the window, and was imme diately fired upon by the servant, who than threatened his com rade with the same fate on his making the slightest attempt to escape. Some neighbours soon came in, and the second rob ber was arrested. He stated himself to be a water-carrier at La Chapelle, and according to his story, after being intoxicated by his companion, was employed by him to assist its removing some furniture from the Colonel's house. A pursuit was im mediately commenced after his accomplice, who was supposed to have been wounded, but who, it appears, had escaped un- Irurt with a packet, containing some valuable property belong ing to the Colonel. He was, however, soon afterwards appre hended with the stolen articles in his possession, and with his accomplice was placed at the disposal of the Procurcur du Roi. --Calignani. ASSAULT BY THE WIFE AND DAUGHTERS IDF A COUNTY MAGISTRATE.—TICS. Elizabeth Hammond and She Misses Eliza and Amelia Hammond, the lady and daugh lers of a Magistrate for the Isle of Thanet and county of Kent, appeared before the sitting Magistrates on Monday, to answer the complaint of Mr. Atkinson, who had been assaulted by the ladies on presenting his account to them at their residence in Hawley -square, Margate, on January 23. Mr. Atkinson said that, on applying at the house, Miss Amelia Hammond tried to prevent his going in, but he insisted, and went to the room door, on which Mrs. Hammond came from out the room, and commenced an attack upon him, scratching his face, and kicking him on the body. One of the young ladies snatched his hat from his head, and closing her lady-like little fist, punched the crown out of it. Complainant, after the above examples of the pugnacious propensities of his assailants, made his escape as speedily as possible. Mr. Walters saw one of the ladies running out of the house, and calling for the police, but judged, from the complainant's woeful appearance, that he had most need of help. The ladies, who were at tended by a surgeon, entered into no other defence than a ge neral denial of the above-named facts, and were fined 30s. Miss Amelia Hammond then preferred a charge against Mr. Atkinson, which the Magistrates refused to entertain.. Kentish Chronicle. PERTH.--EXTENSIVE GAOL BREAKING.--Our streets have been placarded with large bills relative to the escape of nine prisoners from the gaol of Perth, and offering a reward of 701. for their apprehension. According to the account given in the Perth papers, the escape was effected in the following manner:—.Mr. Simpson, the gaoler, along with the turnkey, went out to open the doors of the day rooms, in one of which there were thirteen male prisoners, for the purpose of conveying them to their cells for the night. The turnkey who opened the door was immediately seized by a number of the prisoners, according to a plan which had been previously laid, and forced into one of the adjoining cells, where he was bound, a napkin tied round his head, to cover his mouth to prevent him giving the alarm. The gaoler was also seized and bound in a similar manner, and the keys of the gaol, which both gaoler and turnkey had in their hands, were, after some struggling, taken from them, and nine of the thir teen prisoners effected their escape. It is only those who were guilty of, or were to be charged with the most heinous offences, who sought to effect their escape. One of the four who remained in prison did not think it convenient to shift his quarters for ono night, as he was to be liberated on the day 1 , z. f i ring at any rate, and the terms o f con fi nement o f the other 1 - 1 1 eit 46 ntaitiy expired. r - - , ) , -.!-' — iii 'defiance of all prohibition the reformed Corpora c., ' tion or oston have persisted in cutting down and selling the fir trees in - Boston' churchyard. Having sold the trees and the 7,; -• ' plate, people arel . apprehensive that they will now sell the fi -- _ grave stones, altheiugh thny have not yet been advertised.-_ Lincoln CAr2y. ( -.s'Y'''Y Ai a a ,POOR-LAW AMENDMENT BILL. MEETING AT• FREEMASON'S TAVERN. The CHAIRMAN (in Continuation from our First Edition of yes terday) said—The demands of the people, for those rights which were established by Statute, and had existed far 300 years, must be at. tended to.—(Cheers.) Although the agricultural districts had not pe titioned against the Bill, it was not to be supposed that their silence im plied consent.—(Hear, hear.) A gentleman from Suffolk would tell the meeting that intimidation prevailed in Suffolk.—(Hear, hear.) The labourers were there in a state of thraldom, which could not be allowed to continue without consequences the most calamitous.—(Hear.) It was no apology for the present law, that some persons had conceived an unjust prejudice against the former law. It was impossible to sup pose that the former law should have existed for two centuries, and only at the end of that period bring forth the evils ascribed to it. The former amount of the poor-rates was not the disorder, it was only a symptom of the disorder—the,natural and necessary result of the increased pail perism.—(Hear, hear.) He thought the proper plan would be to exact the Statute of Elisabeth in all its simplicity, with suck additions as would benefit the working classes.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) The resolutions would now be submitted to them, and they would be ad. dressed in turn by a gentleman in whom the people placed great confidence—he meant Mr. Fielden. He would be followed by Mr. Wal ter, who during the last session had exerted himself with so much lau dable patriotism and indefatigable perseverance in collecting evidence upon the subject.—(Cheers.) The Rev. Mr. Dewdney, of Sussex, Mr. Oastler, of Yorkshire, and Mr. Richardson, of Manchester, would also address them, and he trusted they would give all who did se a patient and candid hearing. They should endeavour to triumph over the des potic triumvirate of Somerset House.—(Cheers.) That triumph could only be gained by unity of purpose, by directing all their exertions, by confining all their deliberations and discussions to this one object, and abstaining from entering into any extraneous or irrelevant topics, how ever important those topics might be in respect of other questions. —(Hear.) This course it was that gave such great influence to the meeting in the West Riding of York, which was attended by 300,000 persons. This was a question on which persons of all poli tical opinions should cordially co-operate, and if any attempt were made to introduce other topics, he should rely on the support of the meeting for the purpose of checking any ouch attempt,—(Cheers.) Mr. Freeezer, M.P. rose to move the first resolution. It afforded him sincere gratification to meet so numerous an assembly, having one object in view, namely, to remove from the statute book, the odious Poor. law Amendment Bill.—(Cheers.) He was gratified to find on the platform men of all opinions, on political questions, and then . Aseociationslshould be formed of men of all shades of political opinions. [Dr. Wade—Except the Whigs.—(Laughter.)] The Association, there was no doubt, would extend throughout the , whole country if it were properly entered into, and therefore he trusted, that should any one wish to introduce extraneous matter, the meeting would be determined to stick close to the object in view. It was a Coercion Bill, and was so designated when passing through the House, and he trusted they would not rest till they obtained its total repeal.—(Loud cheers.) It was well known that had the late Mr. Cobbett's motion for an inquiry into the causes of the distress existing in the country been agreed to, they never would have heard a word of such a Bill of cruelty and oppression. The poor man get only half a quarter for twenty.one days' labour now, while it was well-known that two centuries ago he ceuldliave got a whole quarter.—(Cheers.) The Government and the Legislature ought to have taken measures to restore the poor man to his old stan dard, in place of making him worse.—(Cheers.) The Bill which they had got for remedying the evils complained of was one which put an end to all local government, and the princip`e of it was to rob the poor of the rates.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) That had been the effect. A diminution of rates had, it was true, token place, but that diminution had, instead of relieving the poor, oppressed and ground them down to a greater degree than had been ever before known.—(Hear, hear.) Who, then, had they benefited by the diminu. Lion of rates ? These gentlemen who were clothed in a little brief autho rity, and who were sending their spies throughout the country.— (Laughter and cheers.) The Commissioners, in their instructional letters, required those who had the administration of poor -rates to be hard taskmasters and worse pay-masters.—(Hear.) He complained of these wile without reflecting on the actual circumstances of the labouring pour, were constantly calumniating and belying them. He had as much experience of the labourite; poor as any man, and he would assert without fear of contradiction that there was not one out of forty, who was not willing to labcur diligently and unremittingly.— (Hear, hear.) He had sent persons to make inquiries in the Unions of Ampthill, Bedford, and Woburn, in order to ascertain the effect of the New Poor Law Bill on the poor. What did he find from their report? Misery, destitution, and poverty to a degree unex ampled in the history of the country. One of the effects of this self acting test of the Commissioners was to have been the rise of wages. If the Bill had the effect of increasing wages and diminishing crime, it would have been unobjectionable ; but in truth its effect had been the very contrary to what its philosophical authors contemplated- None but Whigs and Whig-Radicals would have expected any good from it. --(Loud cries of " And the Tories and Roebuck"—Hisses, aid much interruption.) Although all parties in Parliament united to support the Bill, yet the blame was chiefly with the Whigs who brought it in.— (Hear.) But many Tories opposed it—(Hear, hear)—amongst others, his friend the late member for Berkshire, Mr. Walter—(Laughter, and a cry of" renegade Whig.") The Tory press hod consistently op posed the Bill, and exposed its operation, whereas the Whig press and the Whig-Radical press had done every thing to prop it up.—(Cries of " No, no," " Yes, yes," and great interruption.) Lord STAEUOPO begged to call his friend to order. He entreated ii:m to abstain from every topic which could in the most distant manner !'e interpreted as bearing upon party politics.—(Cheers.) Mr. FIELDEN apologised. He had been led away by the subject into a discussion from which he might to have abstained. He would go now to show the meeting that the effect of the Bill had been t• reduce the wages of the labouring classes. The BM made the parish the har dest taskmaster, and the worst paymaster. For instance the parish allowed 75. a.week in cases where the regular employers gave I Os. Now was It not clear that this enabled the employers to reduce wages ? (Hear, hear.) Would not a man ;weer taking Os. from a farmer, and have his liberty, to 7s. from the parish, and be subject to cruel restrictions?—(Hear.) In fact, the Bill would shortly bring down the English labourers to the condition of the Irish.—(Hear, bear, hear.) No one was interested in continuing the new Act except those who had a personal interest in the management and operation of the measure. He would not trespass longer upon their time, but he would tint it to them,as men and Englishmen, whether they would any longer consent to so iniquitous an Act remalning upon the Statute-book. It had been arranged that the resolutions should be put to them at once, in order to save the tine of the meeting, and he would now take the liberty of reading them. r - e Hon. Gentleman then proceeded to read the re solutions, which were condemnatory of the Poor_law•s Amendment Act, the adoption of petitions to Parliament, and an Address to her Majesty praying for a repeal of the Act. The resolutions also em bodied the proposition of establishing a Metropolitan Association, of which Earl S:anhope was to be chairman, Mr. Fielden deputy-cha;r man, and Mr. Walter treasurer. Mr. WALTER then rose to second the resolutions, and was greeted with muc; cheering, but was interrupted 1.1 a person near the chair bawling out, " Here is an individual who is probably p:rid by the Poor_ law Committee, for ho has interrupted the meeting several times ; show him up for a Curiosity."—(Great laughter and uproar.) The CRAIRMAN interposed. He stated that a proper time would oc. cur for any gentleman who thought fit to addres, the meeting. Mr. WALTER, after silence had been restored, proceeded to addres; the meeting. Thinking the new P,.or-law might be shorn of something of its malignity, he had consented to become a member of the Poor-law Committee ; but he was there met by a majority avowedly hostile to any change in the Bill, and whose object appeared to be to put hina and his friends opposed to the Bill on their trial rather than the Poor Law Commissioners.—(Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") He had no hesitation in stating that representatives of those who were in favour of the Bill, and the statements of the Poor Law Commissioners relative to the beneficial workings or the measure were entirely with. out foundation.—(Cheers ) But if he had no confidence in the Corn. mittee of last year, from which he and another Member withdrew in disgust, still less had he any confidence in the one of the present Session. The more he heard of the workhouse system—a system of low diet —a system which violated the laws of nature and of God— (Hear, hear, and loud cheers)—a system which tore whole fa milies from their own village and took them to a workhouse some eight or ten miles from where their affections are centered. These were the main principles of the measure, and therefore it was that he thought it could not to amended and must be repealed. Again, as to its new constitutional character, that did not appear in the Bill itself. They were shown in the Rules and Orders of the three London Gentle men sitting at Somerset House, and the country was governed by satraps sent down from London. Even despotism ought to be impartial—in London they were allowed a sufficient quantity of wholesome meat, with eleven pints of gruel a_week ; they had one day in the week as a holiday, out of the workhouse; and the law for separating man and wife had not been acted upon; but in the country the case was very different; it was there carried out in an unnatural way, and there fore he hoped they would do all in their power to put an end to the Associations of commissioners, assistant-commissioners, and emi gration commissioners, by their counter Association.—(Cheers ) They were no secret Association—(Hear, hear) ; they were a public meeting resisting a great public grievance.—(Hear, hear.) He hoped that the recommendation of his Honourable Friend Mr. Fielden would be strictly adhered to, and that their proceedings would be characterised by unanimity. He would not trespass further on their attention than to read a letter from Mr. Bowen, of Bridgewater, a gentleman who was well known to them for the strong opinions which he held on this subject, and which, for the sound views which were contained in it, would no doubt be interesting to them. The Hon. Gentleman then proceeded to read the communication which he referred to. After detailing the evils resulting from the operation of the New Poor-law in the district in which the writer resided, it stated his concurrence in the objects of the meeting, and his determination to afford them every co. operation -in his power. In conclusion, the writer expressed a hope that this question would not afford a vehicle fur violent or inflammatory lan zuage.— ( Hear, hear.) Mr. VINCENT then addressed the meeting. They were assembled to take into consideration the propriety of forming an Association to effect the Repeal of the Poor-law Amendment Act. It was the duty of the working classes, therefore, who were most deeply interested in the bene ficial operation of the Act, to ascertain how far they were called upon to ask for the repeal of what had been termed one of the most atrocious Acts that had ever disgraced the Statute book of that country.— (Cheers.) He had come there for the purpose of moving an amend ment to the object of the meeting, but he had since had an in terview with the Committee, and had ascertained that he could not do it consistently with the terms of the requisition ; but it was his intention, as soon as the regular business of the meeting had been finished, to move another person into the Chair.—(Vehement cheering.) The great evil of the country was the non-representation of the working classes.—(Applause.) Until the rotten political system which at present prevailed was put an end to, and until the unholy combination of wealth and aristocracy against the working classes was put down, the people of that country would never obtain their rights.—(Great cheering.) A Gentleman on the platform (whose name we understood to be Adolph) here rose to order, and submitted that the speaker was deviat ing from the subject.—(Cries of " Shame," hisses, and great uproar.) Several persons attempted to address the Chair, bet in the confusion we could not ascertain with what object. The CHAIRMAN said, the gentleman on his left .(Mr. Vincent) was en deavouring to prove, that without the great organic change he was re commending they could not hope for a repeal of the Poor-laws—(Hear, hear.) At the same time, considering what he had stated, that he would by and bye move some one should take the chair in the place of himself for the express purpose of having that question discussed, he (the Chairman) would submit to him whether it would not be better for him to postpone those observations until a future period of the day. Mr. VINCENT resumed—He wished that the people should un derstand what was the cause of the evil they were now met to remedy. The poor were made poor by circumstances and institu tions over which they had no controuL—(Hear, hear.) The worthy Chairman and those surrounding him might suppose, that because he was not about to move an amendment, that he had the greatest confidence in those who were about to form the Association, the pre tended advocates for a repeal of the Poor Laws.—(The greatest confusion here took place in consequence of two gentlemen on the platform going up to the sp2aker for the purpose apparently of persuading him to abstain from any longer addressing the meeting. Three-fourths of the meeting immediately rose, crying out " Order, order," " Allow him to proceed," " You don't like to hear the truth," &c. &c.) At length, Mr. VINCENT resumed. Had he been allowed to have finished his sentence they would have found what his meaning was. W hen he found by the papers of that day, in which the working classes were charged with having taken up the cause of the Glasgow cotton-spinners in order to screen themselves, his blood boiled at such audacious lies, and when he saw the proprietor of that same paper come forward with pre tended sympathy for the people, he could not help letting the people know the real state of the case , —(Elear, hear, hear, and ' cheers.) When he saw men came forward pretending to be anti° Is to serve the cause of the people, and yet would net give them the only means by which they could benefit themselves, he could not help calling their sympathy pretended—(Uproar, and cries of" Question.';) He was !peaking to the question, and their pretended friends were only anxious to shirk the great questions which would be for the interests of the many and not of the few.—(Uproar.) He called upon the working classes to call upon the proposed Association to take up the great and paramount questions, upon which depended the happiness of the millions. He believed that there could be no justice for the working classes until the people were fully represented in Parliament.—(Cries of " and "Go on.") So long as they were obliged to go with petitions to the two Houses of Parliament and to the Queen, they would never receive justice, until the democratic principle was fully carried into effect.—(Great cheering, and some hisses.) He called on the meeting to place confidence in the professions of no man who did not advocate Universal Suffrage.—(Tremendous cheers ) Dr. WADE came forward, not, he said, to make a speech, but to bring hack the meeting to its proper object. He thought that the Committee was too limited ; and all its members ought to be elected by the present meeting, and include persons of all classes and parties.—(Cheers ) Mr. Gounii had thought it extraordinary, when he heard the resolu. tions read, that the Committee should have selected persons from their own body, to form a permanent Committee. He agreed with Dr. Wade, that the present meeting should have the power of election, and should choose nen of all parties.—(Hear, hear.) On the subject of the Poor-laws Amendment Act itself, he had to inform the meeting, that if the Guardians o f th e Poor had acted in every parish as those of St. Leonard's and Shoreditch had acted, the New Poor-law Bill would have died 'a natural death long ago.—(Cheers.) In that parish the orders of the Commissioners were totally disregarded, and after much struggling, the three despots gave up the contest. When he, with a deputation waited upon Lord John Russell, nothing could exceed the slippery, mean, and inhuman conduct of that man.—( Hisses.) He refused to take a petition to the King because it came from a Political Union—(Hisses)—although he and his colleagues owed their places to the support of Political Unions.—(Cheers.) On that occasion he (Mr. G.) had a petition in favour of the Dorchester labourers.--(Cheers.) Earl STANHOPE called the gentleman to order, because he was going away from the business of the meeting.—(Great confusion.) Mr. GOUGH proceeded amidst tumultuous applause. lie told Lord J. Russell that the lay appropriators of ecclesiastical property held a good deal of what belonged to the poor.—(Cheers.) The Noble Lord said he was personal, to which he replied that he was speaking to the King's Secretary, and not to Lord John Russell.—(Cheers and laughter.) Mr. G. sat down with seconding Dr. Wade's proposition. Mr. PIERCE, one of the guardians of the poor of St. Leo. nards Shoreditch, also supported the proposition. He consi dered himself one of the working. men who might yet came to the workhouse, and as he had not yet got the fetters on him, he wished to have the opportunity of fighting to prevent their being put on him.—(Cheers and laughter.) Mr. Mott had tried several pairs of fetters upon him, and other guardians of St. Leo nard's, but none of them would fit.—(Loud cheers and laughter.) He would go any length with some of these presedt who introduce.( political topics ; but he begged them not to mix up other questions with the great object of the meeting.—(Hear, hear.) As a practical man he was able to corroborate the statement of the Noble Lord is the Chair, that the 8.11 was so bad that it could not be. mend - ed. It must be en. tirely abrogated.—(Cheers.) For his part he (Mr. Pierce) differed from the Noble Lord and from others on the platform on some political sub jects ; but he was grateful to them for their exertions in this great cause. He recommended the meeting not to entertain the question of univesal suffrage until after the dei - arture of the Chairman.—(Hisses.) Mr. GASTLER then presented himself before the meeting, and was greeted with enthusiastic applause. He appeared, he said, in a new character. He had once, some five years ago, come before a meeting of the people of Westminster, as the advocate of the poor and defenceless factory children ;—(Hear, hear,)—but now he stood before them as the advocate of the rich.—(Hear, hear.) As between the poor and the Poor-law Bill, the question was already settled. He was there to tell the rich that the pit which they had digged for the poor, was one Into which they themselves must fall.—(Cheers.) The [nor would not and could not, long endure the Bill.—(Hear, hear.) If the law were to be continued, the rights of property must be extinguished, and the order of society entirely destroyed.—(Cheers.) When he first saw the Bill, he was convinced that it could not be carried into effect without producing bloodshed, anarchy, fire, and destruction throughout the land.--(Cheers.) Before the Bill passed, he (Mr. 0.) had come to London to tell the Duke of London and other Lords, that if they did pass the Bill, property would not be worth three years' purchase. He knew the people of England well—indeed seven or eight hundred thousand of them (men, women, and children) were tinder his kingly rule, for he was king of the north.—(Cheers and laughter.) He knew them well, and he could say that there never existed a body of men more honest or industrious, nor of women more virtuous.—(bear and cheers.) But the Bill was framed on the supposition that they were idle and immoral. Now could it be possible that a law should succeed with the virtuous and moral which was made for the idle and immoral? —( Hear, hear.) It was at first pretended that the Bill was not to be general ; and it was stated in the House of Lords that the man and wife were not to be separated. Oh Ilw liked to trace the snake through all his windings, and he hoped to scotch him at last.—(Hear, hear, and a laugh.) The Commissioners did not separate husband and wife, pa rent and child, but they classified them in separate workhouses.—(Hear, hear, and laughter.) Oh! when he was corning into London the other day, he passed 11 Ncwgate, which he thought looked to be a very uncom fortatee place; but he thought he would be more comfortable there with a good conscience than in Somerset House with a bad conscience —(Cheers) and he hoped yet to make even Somerset House an uncomfortable place for thieves to live in.—(Rears of laughter.) Mr. Oastler then went into a lengthened statement of the proceedings of the guardians of the poor at Huddersfield. One member was an informer, a cheat, and a knave. The chairman was now a great advocate fir the law, although he was a notorious Luddite, and fought at the battle ofßawfold's Mills, for which 14 men were hanged, of whom one was his brother and another was his cousin. But Huddersfield was a quiet place; for the Commissioners had not succeeded, although they tried it with the London police, who found it better to quit the p'ace in a short time. Then the soldiers were sent ; but they agreed with the people very well, for they detested the Bill.— (Cheers.) In the agricultural districts the poor were deluded by a worthy accessory of the Commissioners—one Dr. Kay ; and one Baker at Leeds, and Muggridge at Manchester —monsters—dealers in human flesh—the flesh of men, of women and children.—(shame.) lie related some instances of families being induced, in the depth of winter, to travel 170 miles and more, from the agricultural districts to the manufacturing, under the delusive persuasion of those three per sons, that they should obtain profitable employment.—(Shame.) On Tuesday week last, he and Mr. Fielden saw in Manchester ' 21 Englishmen yoked- like brutes in a cart, drawing potatoes, and re ceiving 2s. amongst them for dragging the cart thirty miles.—(Shame.) These men were as dear in the sight of God as the Noble Lord in the Chair—as dear in the sight of the Queen as any 21 peers of the realm. —(A pm son called out "Blarney."—Hisses.) Mr. 0. said the person teas an agent of the Commissicners.—(Hear, and a laugh.) That person should give to the poor of leis parish the money which he re ceived from his masters. But they must not deceive themselves into the belief, that with such arms and hearts as the people of England pos sessed, their law would be sub.nitted to. It must produce a rebellion if persevered in. He, for one, never would submit to it.—(Cheers.) It was against the law of Nature and of God.—(Cheers.) If lie:should come to poverty, and his wife were to be taken from him by force, he would either kill or be killed.—(Cheers.) If his wife were taken from hi.n and put into the house of another person, he would be justified in law to take that person's life ; and he wished that to go forth to the people of England.—(Cheers.) The Parliament had no power to transfer to the three Commissioners his allegiance, which was due to his Queen, the Constitution, and his God. He was thank ful to Mr O'Connell for abusing him in the House of Commons, and reading his speeches there ; and he also thanked the editor of the " Cl.ronicle" for calling him so many foul names, and so often. — (Cheers and laughter.) The cheers of the meeting assured him that the Bill would be repealed. He was a Tory, but he would unite wah men of all parties to procure the Repeal. He was willing to meet his Radical felt -w.countrymnn, and rub away their mutual prejudices.— ( Hear, hear.) If he found th em r i g h t h e would b ecom e a Radical.— (Hear.) He had rather ascen d t o H eaven f ro m the scaffold than take up his abode i n th a t k enne l up n the other s id e of the Strand, where the three.headed Cerberus nightly and daily set up its ho w l. — (Loud and repeated cheering.) Dr. WADI( said that he was so convinced of the zeal and efficiency of the gentlemen nominated for the Committee, that he would withdraw his proposition for adding to the numbers—(Heer, hear.) Mr. Mummy wished to f o ll ow up t h e observat i ons o f the gentleman who preceded him, by th e course which had been adopte d in his earisne— St. Pancras--to defeat the Bill . Th e G uard i ans re f u sed to act upon the orders of the Commissioners, and the Court of King's Beech de cided in favour of th e Guardians. If all the par i s hes through out the country h a d ac t e d li ke the parishes of St. Pancras, St. Leonard's, and at. George's, the Bill would be a dead letter.—(Hear.) He would not accept the office of Guardian, because he, would not take any part in carrying the Bill into effect. If be were a Guardian, he would risk life and property to protect the poor.—(Cheers.) He would unite with men of all parties to obtain the repeal of that iniquitous measure.—(Hear.) It had been said thi s d ay that the pauper. in the London wor kheus. s were allowed to go out once a week. That was net the fact. In St. Paul's, Covent-Garden, a m an was allowed to go out one d a y, but in eonse_ quencs of his stayi ng f rom his bad home seven minutes b e y o nd the hour appointed by the master for his return, he was con demned to six months imprisonment i n t h e workhouse—(Shame) — an d a friend call ing to see hi m on the visiting day, was told that he cou ld not ace him fur six months.—(Shame.) It was pretended that the Poor-law had encreased the wages of the labourers, and it was attempted in the Committee of the Hou se o f Commons to establ i s h t h a t by the evidence of the labour e rs. B ut notwithstanding the efforts o f the Chairman and others to make it o u t , t h e contrary wa s proved. It was als o de nied that husband and wif e were separated ; but th e truth was that they were so, and in workh ouses so far asunder as 17 m il es ,—(Shame.) But in St. Pancra s , i n d es pit e o f t h e Commissioners, the o ld men were al. lowed to go over to their wives to take a cup of tea on a Sunday evening. —(Loud Cheers.) He stated the case of a woman who was admitted into that workhouse at one o'clock in the mem o); the s imea'csleterko.f a n no e the f r ae w t o was, i b ng, and altho ug h every attention wAs paid to her she expired u s s h e e t o wa w s to admit her.—(C r i es of " Shame. " ) A verdict to that effect Ism himebursdheeredwasbyartshte brought given upon an inquest, and the matter was represented Lord to John Russell, who referred it to the Commissioners, although they were the parties implicated. lir. W. concluded by sailing on the meeting to unite in their exertionsto get of the Bill, and to send the Commissioners to the same f are w hi ch they allotted to the poor. The Rev. Mr. DEWDNET, of Port sea, deprecated th e mixing up of any party question with th e o bj ect of the meeting. He de nounecd the Bill as unconstitutional, i n h uman, and unchristia n The Committee of the House of Comm ons appo i nted to inquire in to ' the prevent working of the Bill was moat iniquitous, it s o bj ect was totruth from being heard, and to invite falsehoott— (Hear.) His friend, l the had truly told that Committee that the old l aw was bad in Brock , s but that the new one was bad in its en ac t ments. (Hear hietar.) abusHese, (Mr. D.) recommended all the enemies of th e Bill to become Guardians when they could, in order to frustrate its operations. The Board of Guardians at Portsea entered a minute upon thir books censuring the conduct of the Master of the workhouse, and the relieving officers, for taking in a family who were found a starving in a shed, and nearly at the point of death. In another workhouse a woman perished through the neglect of the mistress, who as merely dismissed for having caused the death of a fellow.creature ; whereas a poor man who left the said workhouse with a shirt and a p a i r of stockings oa him belonging to the parish was prosecuted, and sentenced to three months imprisonment.—(Shame.) A Committee had been ap pointed to enquire into the working of the Bill this S ess i on, solely for y the purpose of staving off the question to the end of th e Session. But there was no want of promptitude in the Ministers and the Parlia. ment in the affair of Canada.—(Loud cries of " hear, hear , hear.) He sincerely exhorted every person present to procure' the election of persons unfriendly to the Bill to fill the office of g uardian Mr. Iticneauscne of Manchester next addressed the meeting at considerable length, in reprobation of the Poor-law Amendment Bill, and was much applauded. He referred to a pamphlet en the of Poor-laws, published by Knight, which he said W as n, s ubje ct ofll misrepresentations. Ile read one extract to show the character of the work. It was a statement from the Rev. Richard Lowe, of Bing ham—that chastity was a virtue unknown among s t t h e poorer class of females in England—(Loud cries of indignation) —except to some extent amongst domestic servants, who knew that they held their places by that tenure—(Laughter.) He (Mr. Richardson) de fended the women of England against so gross a calumny, and said that it was upon such misrepresentations of the working classes, the whole measure of the Poor Law Amendment was founded. He hope( the men of Middlesex would not be backward in Joining their brethren in the North, in resistance to the iniquitous Bill.—(Applause.) General JOHNSON briefly supported the object of the • meeting, and the resolutions which had been proposed. Mr. WALTER attempted to say a few words, but o old not obtain a bearing, amidst cries of " Time." The Resolutions were then agreed to, and thanks were voted to the Cha;rman, amidst loud and repeated cheering; and his Lordship said that he would not detain the Meeting from the business which others proposed to introduce, further than to say that he was desirous to see a full, fair, and free representaiion of all classes of the people.—(Cheers.) Dr. WAus: was then called to the Chair, and Mr. VINCIiNT brought forward a resolution in favour of Universal Suffrage, which was carried unanimously. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT, HOUSE OF LORDS, FBI. 19. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his scat on the Woolsack at Five o'Clock. A Message from the House of Commons brought up the Grand Juries (Waterford) Bill, which— Upon the motion of the Marquis of LANSDOWNE, was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time to morrow. . The Bishop of ELY presented a petition signed by 41 clergymen, against the suppression of the Bishopric of Sodor and Man. NATIONAL EDUCATION. The Marquis of CLEVELAND presented a petition from a place in the County of Durham, praying for . Universal Suffrage ; also a p e tition from the same place, in favour of a system of National Education, which had his cordial consent ; and he hoped the Noble and Learned Lord near him would not fail to carry forward the Bill with all the ability which he was so capable of bringing to the question which he had introduced on this subject. Lord BROUGHAM said that very soon after the question of slavery was disposed of, he should bring forward this subject. The cause of his so long delaying it was his desire not to mingle two great questions together, in which case he had generally found one er the other to be prejudiced. Lord REDESDALE presented a petition from Esham, against the Suppression of the Bishopric of Sodor and Man. Also two petitione from the Commissioners of Turnpike Roads, against the abolition of the Statute-labour Duty. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE presented petitions from Protestant Dissenters assembling at Huddersfield, at a Pres byterian Chapel at Devizes, at Sion Chapel, Shoreditch, at Silver-street Chapel, and several other places, complaining of grievances. Lord ABING ER presented a petition from an individual against the abolition of the Imprisonment for Debt Bill. Cord WH A RNCLIFFE presented a petition from an individual, named John Wharton, praying for a re hearing of a cause, which had been decided by their Lord ships' House upon the merits. The question .in the cause related to a legacy left by General Lambton, and a suit in the Court of Chancery having been institue2d, his Honour the Vice-Chancellor decided it. The cause was appealed to the Lord Chancellor, then Lord Brougham, who confirmed his Honour's decision. Upon the cause being brought to their Lordships' House, the decree of the Court of Chancery was reversed, and the petitioner now prayed that the case might be ordered to be re-heard. He (Lord W.) cer tainly felt rather prejudiced against the House directing a cause to be re-heard upon its merits, although he felt it to be his duty to present the present petition. The petitioner, however, stated one ground, on which he ap plied, and upon which he considerably relied. He stated that it was usual for their Lordships to give notice of the time when a judgment was to b e g i ven, t h at t h e part i es andtheir agents might be present, ready to furnish any necessary inf ormat i on, or to supp l y any d e f ect t h at might occur at the moment when judgment was being deli vered ; but that in the present instance no notice had been given, and the consequence was, that neither the parties nor their agents were present. H ow f ar thi s o p erate d as a groun d for a rehearing upon the merits he was riot prepared to say ; but probably the Noble and Learned Lords who were in the habit of attending that House judicially would be able to state. The LORD CHANCELLOR stated that the point wax very fully inquired into in the course of the last Session of parliament. Upon that occasion a Noble Lord presented a peti tion from an indilidual, praying that the House would order a cause to be reheard. Precedents were then searched for, and although there were some instances found in which a rehearing had been ordered, where something had been omitted, yet there never had been a case of rehearing ordered upon the merits, and upon that occasion, the Noble Lord finding the precedents to be so, withdrew the petition. The reason that the parties had not had notice of the judgment in this instance could form no ground why a rehearing should be ordered. There was no appeal nor any re hearing pending—thrrefore the absence of the parties when judgment was delivered upon the appeal could not now be of the corvequence it otherwise would have been. He hoped the Noble Lord would think proper to follow the example that had been set last Session, and withdraw the petition. Lord BROUGHAM agreed with his Noble and Learned Friend in hoping that the Noble Lord would withdraw the petition. This was one of the two cases in which the House had differed from him in opinion while he held the Great Seals.---( Hear, hear.) The question was, whether a legacy was given in redemption of part of a mar riage settlemen.. This was a difficult and very fit subject, no doubt, for the consideration of the House of Lords. He was not present when the House gave its judgment. He did not complaia of that. If he had been, he would either have been convinced by what was stated, or he should have stated his own opinion. This was a case which ho had considered very fully, and although he was bound now to think that he was wrong in the judgment he had formed, yet he had concurred with all the rest of the profession with whom he had consulted that he had come to a right decision. He agreed with his Noble Friend on the Woolsack, that it was quite impossible to open the case now. The absence of the parties was no ground for adopting such a course of pro ceeding. He would strongly recommend to his Noble Friend to withdraw the petition. Lord L YNDH URST said that he should not have moved the jVg:nent of the House in the absence of his Noble Friend opposite ( Lord Brougham), had he not been pressed by the parties on both sides to do so. As to the parties not knowing the ground on which the judgment proceeded, all he had to say was that two gentlemen were present who usually reported the legal proceedings of their Lordships, and who had re ported the reasor.s most accurately. The Earl of DEVON deprecated the opening of the deci sion of their Lordships. After a few words from Lord BROUGHAM, Lord WH A RNCLIFFE withdrew the petition. Lord BROUGHAM then presented petitions against the Negro Apprenticeship system, from Barnsley, Wakefield, Dur ham, Middlesborough, Bridlington, Welch Posh, Cumnock, Launceston, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Morpetb, Soutlibreat, Abergavenny, South Shields, Deptford, City o f B r i sto l, and - from the Delegates of the Society of Friends. The Noble Lord also presented a petition from Mon trose, in favour of the operation of the law, giving them a better constituency and more protection for the Eleotive Franchise. The Noble Lord also presented a petition from Uttoxetcr against Church. rates. Lord BRO UG HA NI not seeing the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in his place, wished to know front the President of the Council or the Noble Viscount at the head of her Majesty's Government, whether there was any foundation for the state ment which had been made, that the Governor of the Leeward Islands had assembled a Convention at Antigua with respect to the Slaves. Lord MELBOURNE said that the Secretary for the Co lonies would be in his place to-morrow—when he would be able to give any inforrnation on the subject. CUSTODY OF INSANE PERSONS BILL. On the motion of Lord REDESDALE, the Bill for the Custody of Insane Persons was read a second time, and or dered to be committed on Friday. After a few observations from the LORD CHANCEL LOR, he moved the third reading of the Banking Copart nership Bill. After a few words from the Lord Chancellor, Lord Ellen borough, Lord Abinger, and Lord Redesdale, the Bill was read a third time and passed. The Bill was then taken down by the Masters in Chancery to the House of Commons. A message from the Commons brought back the Bill, after a considerable interval, with the amendments agreed to. MESSAGES FROM THE COMMONS. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER and others brought up the Transfer of Aids Bill, the Exchequer Bills Bill, and the Parliamentary Electors and Freemen Bill, which were sererally read a first time.—Adjourned. THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1838. HOUSE OP COMMONS, Fzs. 19. The SPEAKER took the Chair at the usual hour. Lord BRABAZON took the oaths end his seat for the County of Dublin. ROXBURGH ELECTION. The LORD ADVOCATE appeared at the Bar, and re ported from the Select Committee appointed to try the Rox burgh petition that John Elliot, Esq., was duly elected, but that neither the petition of Hon. F. Scott, nor the opposition to the said petition , was frivolous or vexatious. Sir CHAS. B. VERE said that the Roxburgh Election Committee having unanimously decided that there had been riotous proceedings during the election, he judged it necessary that the House should be in possession of the evidence taken before the Committee, in order that the House might take such measures as it thought fit, to prevent the recur r en ce o f suc h riots at any future election. He should therefore more to-morrow that the minutes of the proceedings and evidence taken before the Roxburgh Election Committee be laid upon the table of the House.—( W Hear.) NEW RITS. N ow Writs were issued for Portsmouth, on the motion of Mr. BARING, in th© room of Mr. Bonham Carter, de ceased; and for West Kent, on the station of Sir EDWARD KNATCHBULL, in the room of Sir William Geary, 'who has accepted the Chiltern Hundreds. NOTTING-HILL FOOT-WAY BILL. Lord GEORGE LENNOX moved the second reading of this Bill. Petitions against the Bill were presented by Mr. G. W. HorE and Mr. Bv Mr. G. W. HOPE submitted to the House that this Bill ought not to be allowed to pass. A gentleman took a lease o f ground at Notting Hill, which wa s in t ersecte d b y a pu bli c foot -path, and which he attempted to stop up by force and violence. The obstructions were removed by the inhabitants, who conceived that they had a right of passage, for which actions were taken against several of them by the party who took the ground. He did not succeed in his actions, and he now applied to Parliament for a Bill to enable him to effect that by their assistance which he had failed of attaining by the Courts of law. Now he apprehended this was a prin ciple which the House would be cautious in sanctioning. Unless the party could show that some public benefit were in tended to be conferred by this Bill, it ought IRA to be allowed to pass. It had been stated, to be sure, that it was for the convenience and amusement of the public, the ground being devoted to the purposes of a race course; hut then the proposition excluded all those who did not pay the sum which he had fixed as the price of admission. Under these circumstances he thought that the Bill should not be suffered to pass, and he would therefore move, as en amend ment to the second reading, that it be read a second time that day six months. Mr. HUNIE wished to ask the Noble Lord who had moved the second reading of the Bill, in what state exactly the con troversy was between Mr. Whyte and the inhabitants of Ken sington. He understood th it actions had been brought by Mr. 'Whyte against several of the inhabitants, and if such were the fact it would be a most extraordinary proceeding if the House were by this Bill to interfere pending the decision of a Court of Law.—(Hear, hear.) Lord GEORGE L ENNOX said that the actions had been withdrawn. Mr. HUME said a petition had been laid on the table against the progress of the Bill, signed by the Rector and 1,200 of the inhabitants. Lord GEORGE LE NNO X believed that at the meeting there were not more than eighty or ninety persons present. As to the hardship of the exclusion of the public, he really thought that if ever there was a Bill which ought to be carried, this was one.---( Laughter.) A great deal had been said about giving places for public recreation —( Hear)—but if this footpath were to remain in its present state it would be impossible for Mr. Whyte to do justice either to himself or to the public. Before the last races the amusements were carried on with the strictest propriety—there was no gambling, no booths, and no gin was allowed to be sold.—( Laughter.) At the last races the public claimed the right to come into th• footpath, and the place was crowded with thimble riggers, and people selling beer and spirits.--( Loud Laughter.) He believed there was a much nearer way for the public, which Mr. \Vhyte was willing to make, but this was to be left to the decision of the Ma gistrates. He trusted the House would allow the Bill to go into Committee—(Hear)—and if it should be likely to inflict injustice on any individual, he could only soy that he (Lord George Lennox) would not be a party to carrying it any further. Mr. SLANE Y felt some interest in this matter, because it seemed to bear on the.case of depriving a considerable number of persons of an open space in the vicinity of large towns. But having heard from the proprietor a statement respecting the paths, and understanding that he had a proposition to make which would meet the view of all persons inclined to aid the amusements of the humbler classes, he would suggest that the Bill should be allowed to go into Committee, that the proposition might be heard. Should it not be a reason able proposition, and beneficial to the inhahitants in the vicinity of the place, it would be in the power of the House to reject it. It had been stated to him that the footpath went through fields uhicli had been very little used until Mr. Whyte had made the place an object of great attraction, and of great amusement to the middle-classes, by the establishment of races.—(Hear, hear.) He understood that the preprietor proposed to give the inhabitants a public path across the grounds, so that they would have a nearer way to the terminus than they now had ; as there was some question about the right of the inhabitants, the proprietor proposed to give the poorer classes admission to the grounds during the four holiday weeks every year, at as low a price as the House might think fit to name. Under these circumstances he thought the House would not object to allow the Bill to go into Committee. Mr. J. JERVIS hoped the Hon. Member for Weymouth would not persevere in his motion, and he hoped also the pro moters of the Bill would consent to postpone it for a fortnight, because if the inhabitants bad a right to the foot ath it would be scarcely fair to compel them to pay the expense of opposing the Bill. Lord GEORGE LENNOX would bo ready to pay any reasonable proportion of the expences. Mr. HOPE then withdrew Lis amendment, and moved that the second reading of the Bill be postponed for a fort night. Mr. AG L IO NB Y understood the object of the Bill to be to divert a public pathway. His objection to the Bill was founded upon principle : he thought it dangerous when parties wanted to shut up a foot path to come to the Legislature, it having, already given power to Magistrates to decide such questions. —( Hear, bear.) He thought the proper course would be in the present instance to apply to two justices ; because in that case the parties might appeal, if they were dis satisfied with the decision of the Magistrates, to the Quarter Sessions. Mr. HARVEY said that the motion of the Hon. Member for Chester, that the Bill should be postponed for a fortn;ght, in his opinion, would not effect the object he had in view, as it was impossible to calculate upon unanimity in the large parish of Kensington. He thought that the suggestion of the Noble Lord was most excellent, that any fair expenses that might be thrown upon the parish by resisting this proceeding, Mr. Whyte would make good. He thought that the alteration of this property was a benefit rather than other wise to the parish of Kensington, as it was rated at the present moment to the poor at 7001., whereas some short time since it was not rated at more than 100/. That, how ever, ought to be no consideration if the recreations of the poor were interfered with. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL thought that it was but fair that the Bill should go into Committee. How far he would vote in favour of it he would net say; but if the rights of the public were to be effected by it, he should give it his most strenuous opposition. If the whole of the object of the present Bill could be effected by two Magistrates, then lie should say that the Bill ought to be thrown out, but it must be ri_cellected that a bargain had to be made with Mr. Whyte, by which the poorer clisses were to bo greatly benefited. He hoped the Bill would be proceeded with then ; let them get it into Committee ; at the same time let it be well understood, that the House would not be pledged to vote in any particular way, unless the Bill did complete justice to all parties. Mr. HOPE said, upon such an understanding, he would be most happy to withdraw all opposition to the Bill. The Bill was then a second time, and ordered to be com mitted to the Middlesex list. Mr. CHALMERS presented a petition from the Magis trates of Arbroath, in favour of the Glasgow and Edinburgh Railway. Mr. W. ATT WOOD moved the second reading of the Lon don and Greenwich Railway Bill. The SPEAKER said the House had come to a resolution last Session that no Railray Bill should be read a second time except on Tuesday or Friday nights, at fire o'clock. Mr. HUME thanked the Right Hon. Gentleman for calling the attention of the House to that, the first Bill of the kind of the Session. He moved that the Bill be read a second time to-morrow.—Agreed to. The ATTO RNET-GENERAL presented a petition from the Chamber of Commerce in Glasgow, in favour of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Bill. MILTON AND SITTINGBOURNE IMPROVEMENT BILL. On the motion of Sir E. KNATCHBULL the Milton and Sittingbourne Improvement Bill was read a third time and passed. Mr. HALSE presented a petition from St. Ives against the Municipal Boundaries Bill. Mr. GODSON presented a petition signed by 4,000, as we understood, of his constituents, against certain clauses in the New Poor-law Act, particularly against their giving irrespon sible power to the Commissioners. EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW RAILWAY. Sir R. PEEL presented a petition from the Chambers of Commerce of Manchester and Glasgow, in favour of the Edin burgh and Glasgow Railway. STANDING ORDERS' COMMITTEE. Lord EBRINGTON presented the Report of the Com mittee. On the motion of an Honourable Member, the Report, we believe was read by the Clerk, but in so indistinct a tone that we could only catch the names of the following Bills, as to which, the Committee reported that the parties should he allowed to proceed; and as to which, leave was given to bring them in :—the Eastern Counties' Railway (as we under. stood); the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway ; the Croydon Railway; the Grand Western Railway (as we understood.) NEW POOR LAW. Mr. GRIAISDITCH presented three petitions, one from Lancaster, the others from places the names of which we could not catch, against the New Poor Law. Mr. GLADSTONE presented a petition from Coventry, signekby 800 persons, praying the House not to pass any Act for national education which should lot be based on re ligious principle. Sir GEORGE STRICKLAND presented a petition from Barnsley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, signed by 2,500 persons, praying for the abolition of the system of Negro Ap prenticeship. Mr. GL AD STONE presented eight petitions, in favour of the Boundary Bill, and wished to know when it was likely to be proceeded with ? Mr. VERNON SMITH intended to propose the second reading to-night, to which he considered there would be no opposition. Many small objections had been pointed out, whick could easily be remedied, and he intended to propose to refer the Bill to a Select Committee, where it might be much more easily discussed than in a full House. If the House acquiesced in this proposition, he would move that the Bill be committed, to give an opportunity of circulating it throughout the country. Sir E. KNATCUBULL said that the Hon. Member was under a misapprehension when he stated that this Bill would pass the second reading without opposition.—( Hear, hear.) The Honourable Gentleman must not for a moment imagine that a Bill so unfair in principle and so objectionable in its details—( Hear, hear)—would be suffered to pass this House without opposition. He called on the Hon. Mem ber to name some distinct day for the second reading of the Bill, in order that they should have an opportunity of dis cussing it. Mr. VERNON SMITH said that is was his intention to move the second reading to-night. BALLOT. Mr. BANNERMAN presented a petition from Aberdeen, signed by ., ?,09 . 0 persons in f a v our of the Ballot. BISHOPRIC OF SODOR AND MAN. Lord GEORE LENNOX presented & petition from a parish in Sussex against the union of the Bishopric of Sodor Rad Man with the See of Carlisle. NEGRO APPRENTICESHIP. Mr. PEASE presented petitions from Kirkby Lonsdlle, and other parishes in the county of Durham, praying that the system of apprenticeship should cease on the Ist of August. Mr. VILLIERS presented petitions to the same effect from Worcester and Stafford. IMPORTATION OF FOREIGN GRAIN. Mr. THORNLEY stated that be had given notice on a courier occasion of his intention to move for certain returns relative to the importation of foreign grain last year, iihich he now begged to renew. Sir RONALD FERGUSON presented a petition from Nottingham in favour of the Ballot. Mr. LANGDALE gave notice, that on Tuesday the 6th of March, he should move an instruction to the Poor-law Committee, to consider how far the system of workhouses should be adopted. Mr. DUNDAS presented a petition from a place in Flint shire, in favour of the Vote by Ballot. Mr. GILL ON presented a petition from Stratheden in Lanarkshire, praying for Triennial Parliaments. The Hon. Member observed, that from the noise which generally pre vailed in the House during the presentation of petitions, the public out of doors had no means of ascertaining from what places they had come, or their purport. Formerly the Clerk was in the habit of reading the names of the places f. om whence the petitions came, and their prayers, but that had been discontinued, and he understood the matter had been much complained of out of doors.— ( Hear, hear.) Ile hoped there would be no objection to the re-adoption of that system. The Hon. Member then pre sented a petition from a place in Linlithgow, praying for Universal Suffrage. Petitions were presented by Mr. COLLINS and some other Hon. Members praying for the abolition of Negro Apprentice ship. Mr. W. EVANS presented a petition from Ashford, in the county of Derby, praying for a total abolition of all plu ralities in the Church. The. Hon. Member also presented a similar petition from Derby ; also a petition from Chapel le Frith for the abolition of Negro Apprenticeships Mr. C. R IPPON presented petitions from parishes in An trim for the abolition of tithes. IRISH CORPORATION BILL. Mr. LITTON presented petitions from all the guilds and officers of the guilds in Dublin, stating that they would be great sufferers if the Irish Corporation Bill were passed in its present shape, from having given up their business on taking their offices, and to which they could not return—they prayed the House not to pass the Bill without making them an adequate and full compensation, so that they might not be left at the mercy of the Town Councils which were likely to be returned. Mr. Sergeant JACKSON presented petitions from several places in Cork, praying the House to pass an Act for the purpose of preventing the Roman Catholic Clergy interfering at elections. The petitioners stated that the Roma. Catholic Clergy not being satisfied with the spiritual influence which they exercised over their flocks, had shown themselves parti cularly ambitious to acquire politizal power in the House of Commons. An HoN. MEMBER (on the Ministerial side of ae House) asked if the Colonial-office had received from Jamaica a copy of the Police Act recently passed by the Co lonial Legislature, and sanctioned by the Government ; and whether that Act contained matter similar to that which had been objected to by a Committee of this House, for inquiring into the Apprenticeship system. He would also put the same question in regard to the Fire Arms Aet. Sir G. GREY said, within the last few days, by the West Indian Mail, had been received a Police Act passed in the existing session, by the Jamaica Legislature, and differing 1 3 several ♦ery important respects from the Act which had been law before—not objected to by the Committee referred to. As to the Fire Arms Act he ( Sir G. Grey) had not heard of an Act of that name, or relating to fire-arms, which had been passed by the Colonial Legislature. PLURALITIES' BILL. In answer to Sir R. INonrs, Lord J. RUSSELL said that ho could not exactly state when the Pluralities' Bill (we believe) would come on. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND ACCOMMODATION. Sir R. PE EL asked if the Government were prepared to bring forward any measure on the subject of additional accommoda tion in the Church of Scotland, arid if so, at what time? Lord J. RUSSELL said the subject was under the con sideration of the Government, and he hoped that in a fortnight he should be able to give a definite answer relating to it. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that he would now state the course which he meant to pursue with respect to the busi ness before the House. He proposed to bring on first to-night the Parliamentary Electors' Bill, and after that the Committee on the Irish Poor-law Bill. The Irish Poor-law Bill required so muc h cons id erat i on , t h at i t was it l possible for hint to fix any particular days for other business while the House was in Committee on that Bill. (Hea r ' hear.) What he proposed, therefore, to do was, that the House should go through the Poor-law Bill; th at they should take no other business on Government days hat that ; and that after the third reading of the Bill, it should be sent to the other House without delay. He proposed to take the same course with respect to the Irish llunictpa , Reform Bill. With respect to the Benefices Pluralities Bill, it wss not his intention to bring it on at pre sent. Thera were one or t wo except i ons to the order of business, which he had stated. He proposed on that day se'nnight that the Hovse should go into a Committee, in orderd that they might proceed to the consideration of the ArillY ' a to Navy Estimates ; and the week after next he hoped to be 1 . 11 ) . Le bring on the motion of which he had given notice, and whiel. t. bad Lien referred to by the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite, fel' . Il e ' appointment of a Committee on Church lease - . If any 11 .9', Member did not perfectly understand the mode of proceeding which he intended to adopt he was ready to enter into any further explanation which might be deemed necessary. Mr. HUME wished to ask the Noble Lord whether he meant to bring on the motion of which he had given notice, for certain returns connected with Church revenues, before the House proceeded to the consideration of the Benefices Plu ralities' Bill? Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that the greater portien of the information which was contained in those returns was t ° be found in the report. Mr. HUME said th at t h e N o bl e L ord had state d t h a t the Bill varied considerably from the recommendations contained in the Report. EAST CUMBERLAND ELECTION. Mr. JAMES hoped the House would bear with him for a few minutes whilst he made a remark or two on a matter per sonal to himself, and connected with the privileges of the ( House. In th e course o f t h e d e b ate w hi c h too k place on the motion of the H on . M em b er f or th e Ci ty o f L on don, he Mr James) took occasion to say that cert a i n t enants - a t• will, voters for East Cu m b er l an d, a ft e r s ig n i ng a requ i s i t i on to secure the return of his (Mr. James's) colleague an d hi ms elf, had been . urged by their landlords to violate th e i r pl e d ges and vote to Sir James Graham. He (Mr. Ja mes ) was c a lled upo n name, and he named the steward of th e re t urn i n g officer , Sir F. Vane. That statement was strictly true, perfectly correct: and he could prove the fact ; but the observation with regar d to the notices given to certain tenants who were threatened ,t ° _ be ejected from their farms was no t i nten d e d to apply to the same parties ; but to apply to other parties. He had no doubt the error had arisen in some of th e hi stor i ca l recor d s of Frid a y last, either from his (Mr. J ames ) h av i ng b een indistinctly heard, or his imperfect manner of expressing himself, because no man admired more than he did the general reports o f the debates which we re ma d e i n t h e House ; in fact, it was i Per fectly wonderful h ow th e y cou ld b e g i ven so p e rfectly n s* short a space of tine.—( Hear, hear, hear.) He (M r ' James) would have made this explanation on Friday last ' but was very un w illi ng to trouble the House with s matter personal to himself; but he did on that day w rite a letter to the editor of a paper in Cumberland, having tke largest circulation, correcting the error. He had since received latter from Sir F. Vane, who was anxious that the error should be corrected as soon as possible. Sir F. Vane w as a particular friend of his, and nothing would hurt him more than to have been supposed to have attributed to him an y un just, harsh, and tyrannical conduct, because he knew he rraa utterly incapable of it, and he was especially anxious not to wound the feelings of his friend, who was suffering from tka effects of a l o n g , severe, and painful illness.—( Hear, hear,) Lord MAHON b egge d the indulgence of th e H ouse o n e subject personal to hi mse lf. It would be r eco ll ecte d t h at on Friday last he presented a petition from Hertford against the Ballot. He stated, then, that a meeti ng h a d b een conven ed by the friends of the Ballot, that a considerable number of voters, both Conservative and Whig, a t ten d e d on that occasion, and that the petition a ga i nst t h e B a ll o t was adopted by a large majority. On that occas i on i t w as stated by the Hon. Member opposite (Mr. Ward) tkat a con siderable number of persons bad been paid for their at tendance ; and that it was not a spontaneous feeling on the part of the inhabitants of Hertford.—(Hear, hear.) He had considered it his duty to write immediately to the place, and he had received a letter from the gentleman vrh ° had lately officiated as Mayor of the town, and others of the highest respectability, who had authorized him to say that not a single person had been paid for his attendance at the meet ing. H e t h oug h t i t r i g h t to state so muc h i n vindication of his own character, and that of his constituents. Mr. WARD begged to assure the Noble Lord his infor mation had been by letter, and that he had no personal know' ledge of th e f ac t s . H e h a d s i nce h a d a personal communica tion, and he was b oun d t o say t h at h e did not think there existed that decisive pr oo f o f f acts u p on w hi c h he had made the statement. CHURCH ACCOMMODATION ( J SCO TLAND.) Sir R. PEEL b egge d to as k t h e Noble Lord (Lord J . Russell) what the intention of her Majesty's Govern mer.t was with resp ec t t o th e measure for extending the means of Di v i ne W ors hi p in Scotland. Noble Lord had st a t e d th a t a f or t n i g ht would elapse be t; fore he could gi ve an answer , an d if it was his intention _ bring forward such a measure h e hoped it would be don: before Easter, in or d er th at t h e coun t r y generally, and th people of Scotland i n p ar ti cu l ar, m i g h t b e able to exp re an opinion upon it. Lord JOHN RUSSELL sa id h e s h ou ld cer tainly do s o. Sir R. PEEL_ A s h e did not see t h e N o ble Lord , th e Secretary for F ore i gn Aff a i rs, i n hi s p l ace , begged to giv e notice that, on some future day, when he saw the Ilutilo Secretary in hi s p l ace, he would put a ques tion him, rel a ti ve to the levy of duties on English goods in Java. Wh en i t was put on a former day the Noble Lord said he hop e d t h at t h e matter wou l d b e a dj us t e d in a satis ta tory way in a short time. NAVAL OFFICERS. Captain PECIIELL w i s h e d to put a quest i o n to a gam" her of th e B oar d o f Adm i ralty ! but as he did not see 0' of them in his place he trusted that he would receive a sates: factory answer f rom some M em b er o f t h e G ov ernment. wanted to know whether it was intended to take any steps to clear the character of the naval officers on the coast o f Africa from the aspersions which had been so scandalously thrown o upon them in another place.—Order. ) the calumny wanted . know wheth er t h ese officers were not to be re lieved front calumny which had been so unjustly thrown upon them. , Lord J. RUSSELL ttoulcl not then answer the q uestio. The disc uss i on wou ld aga i n come on t o - m orrow in O F other_ [louse, and h e t ruste d the Gallant Officer would be satisfied. r Captain PECHELL said, as he had received no answer then, he gave notice that he would repeat it to-morrow.